(a) Benito Mussolini. Examples: 

(i) Mussolini used to proclaim, “Italy must expand or perish.” He wanted to acquire colonies for the country to satisfy nationalist urge and for the economic interests. 

(ii) Mussolini annexed Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in 1936 and also Abenia. 

(b) Circumstances that led to the rise of Fascism: 

1. Discontentment after the treaty of Versailles: Italy had joined the AngloFrench alliance against Germany and her allies in the First World War as Britain had promised large chunks of territory after their victory. However the promise went unkempt to a certain extent. She had only two islands in the Adriatic and Aegean seas. Among Italians there was a feeling of being let down. 

2. Economic crises in Germany and Italy, heavy losses, unemployment, shortage of food grains. At the end of the war, thousands of soldiers in Italy had become unemployed. Industrialization had not progressed and unemployment was on the rise. Even the unemployed working class felt the pinnacle of inflation with low wages and poor working conditions. There were frequent strikes and agrarian riots. 

3. Political instability in Germany and Italy: Democracy was introduced in Italy in 1919, Collision Government, different parties and different polices, No continuity policies. Similar conditions existed even in Germany. 

4. Class conflict: The real issue in most part of Europe was whether control of Government and economic system would continue in the possession of aristocracies or they would be in the hands of less privileged majorities. 

5. Threat of communism: The communists inflamed the atmosphere with revolutionary ideas. 

6. Failure of the League of Nations: Failed to check the rise of dictatorships.

(c) The four similarities between Fascism and Nazism are: 

1. Both Mussolini and Hitler aimed at restoring the status and dignity of their nations by making them strong powers. 

2. Both aimed at providing strong, stable and efficient Governments. 

3. Both uphold one party and one man rule, to believe in aggression, to glorify war, anti-democracy. 

4. Both have faith in totalitarion rule.